AMERICAN HORROR STORY AND RELIGION
Forgiveness Through Religion
Sister Jude is the head nun from the second season of American Horror Story, which was subtitled Asylum. The story follows the lives of patients and religious administration at Briar Cliff Manor, an asylum located in Massacheushetss and set in the 1960's. ("Sister Jude") Jude had entered the church, and later her job at the manor, in an effort to move on from her past as a sexually promiscuous and alcoholic nightclub singer, a lifestyle that led to many mistakes or sins on her part ("Sister Jude"). Jude was involved in a drunk driving incident, taking the life of a young girl, an accident that haunted her and motivated her to turn to a new life of religion as a nun. Unfortunately for Jude, this did not fix all her problems as she still had issues coping with her guilt over what she had done. While she was seeking forgiveness in the eyes of God and seeking forgiveness in herself, she still turned to her old ways of sex and alcohol to cope with her problems. Her problems only worsen when a demonic spirit possess her patients and colleagues, who begin to taunt Sister Jude with their knowledge of her accident and also when Jude grows suspicious of the torturous ways of her colleagues and begins to investigate. ("Sister Jude") These events lead Jude to a series of events that result what appears to be her attempted suicide.
The attempted suicide is revealed to be a dream and Jude is visited by Shachath, the angel of death, who informs her that it is not her time to go yet and that she soon will find peace. ("Sister Jude") This leads Jude to gaining the courage to visit the family of the young girl who she harmed in the accident; upon arrival she discovers that Missy, whom Jude left to die, was actually saved and brought home where her injuries were taken care of, leading to some peace for Jude but this was not the end of her journey. Jude is then falsely convicted of murder and becomes a patient in Briar Cliff Manor until it is shut down for the unethical treatment of their patients. Jude lives for a short time after her release and eventually meets the angel of death again, who provides an ill Jude with the kiss of death, as Jude is finally at peace with her actions and ready to move on.
Jude receiving the kiss of death from Shachath after finally finding her peace.
Throughout the season, Jude uses her faith to find peace and comfort and to move on from her past sins, even if her journey is not easy and involved many mistakes. Jude's relationship with religion was never smooth or straightforward and her disagreements with the institution of the church could be interpreted as religion failing Jude. While her role as a nun and the corrupt staff she worked with may not be the reason she found redemption, her personal faith and belief in God did lead to her finding forgiveness and peace. Ryan Murphy self-identifies with Jude's search for peace through the church and similarly, he found comfort from his own personal relationship with god more so than his relationship with the institution of the Catholic Church (Rose). Jude's journey is a prime example of someone finding comfort and, above all, forgiveness through their relationship with God and religion, which is one of the most popular themes in religion.
A video showing the journey of Sister Jude and her relationship with prayer and god.